Two workers killed in Japanese mall blast after boss told them to re-enter earthquake-hit shopping centre to rescue cash

TWO workers died in a shopping mall explosion after their boss ordered them back into the earthquake-stricken building to retrieve cash. The pair were among the 38 people who died in the 7.1 magnitude earthquake at Kumamoto, Japan last week. The Aeon Mall was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake is seen at night on July 28 Credit: Getty Two store employees were killed after their boss instructed them to re-enter the earthquake-hit shopping centre in Kumamoto Credit: Getty Their employer at Habita in the Aeon Mall has apologised for the fatal instruction that resulted in the “loss of two precious lives.” One of the workers has been identified as 22-year-old Kurumi Otake. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The identity of the other deceased employee has not been made public. Otake evacuated from the Aeon shopping mall in Kashima following the earthquake on July 28 but was later seen re-entering the building. Company sales manager Goji Yuse admitted the company had instructed the two workers to put sales proceeds into the safe. It is understood the store later collapsed following an explosion. A family watches search and rescue operations conducted at the mall Credit: Getty Vehicles crushed under collapsed buildings in southwestern Japan Credit: AP Two company representatives attended Otake’a wake on Sunday and apologised to her family. They said: “Looking back now it was not worth a life.” Most read in The Sun Her mother said: “My daughter is not coming back. “I wished someone had stopped her.” Otake’s relative described her as someone with a “strong sense of justice”. Handwritten messages are placed alongside bouquets of flowers and drinks in mourning for the victims Credit: Getty More than 8,500 remain in emergency shelters after the earthquake ravaged the area Credit: Reuters The relative said: “If she hadn’t gone back in side the store at the time, Kurumi would still be with her family today.” The mall’s operator said it believes the explosion was due to a gas leak. It occurred after about 3,000 shoppers had been evacuated to a car park following the quake but some employees remained inside. Seven of the earthquakes total fatalities were from Aeon Mall. The earthquake has left 114 people injured across Kumamoto, authorities said. Some 700 homes were destroyed, and more than 11,300 buildings were damaged, according to Kumamoto prefecture. More than 8,500 people remain at crowded emergency shelters, such as converted community centers, school gyms and classrooms, many of which lack air-conditioning. Others are sleeping in cars at town hall parking lots and parks, or outside of their homes. Intense heat and a lack of water supplies have complicated repair efforts. More than 46,000 households remain without water and many also face fuel shortages as the region suffers the sweltering heat. One woman has died from heatstroke after she was forced to sleep in her car, the Independent reports. The woman, in her 70s, was found on July 30 in a vehicle that had run out of petrol in Kumamoto prefecture. Japan Meteorological Agency predicted that temperatures would rise close to 40C on Monday. Comment now